Like a lion circling his prey, North Carolina wrestler Chris Rodrigues waited until Tony Stewart of UNC-Greensboro let his guard down before pouncing on him and recording a near fall as the first-round buzzer sounded.
The Tar Heels as a team didn't exhibit nearly as much patience in thrashing UNC-G 36-9 and Division II Anderson College 42-0 Saturday at Carmichael Auditorium.
Sophomore Mark Canty, wrestling at 174 pounds, set the tone for the afternoon, pinning Spartan Alex Pierce a mere 1:45 into the match. Canty recorded his pin using less than conventional methods.
"I had this move picked out that I learned in WWF Monday Night Brawl, and Coach said, 'Try some new things,' so I went for the body slam," Canty said with a smile. "Coach told me to go out there and be as aggressive as possible to get everyone on a good pace."
UNC (5-2, 1-0 in the ACC) seized on the early momentum, immediately jumping on the Spartans 36-0 behind Canty's pin, two disqualifications and consecutive dominating major decisions by Rodrigues, Evan Sola and John Paul Igoe.
UNC-G (1-5) didn't pick up a point until the ninth match when 157-pound Ryan Tripp pinned backup Tom Thekkekandam.
In the second meet, Anderson College (2-3) was no match for UNC, as the Tar Heels pitched a shutout despite wrestling only four starters at their regular weight class.
Matt Atkinson wrestled his way to a technical fall and regulars Rodrigues, Sola and Jimmy O'Connor pinned their opponents.
Despite the victories, UNC coach Bill Lam said he was disappointed the team couldn't get more pin falls. He said he scheduled the match as a break from ACC action and as an opportunity to give non-regulars a chance to compete.
